


Going Down

by Ysabetwordsmith



Category: Captain America (Movies), Marvel Cinematic Universe
Genre: Ambiguity, Ambushes and Sneak Attacks, Bullying, Canon-Typical Violence, Captain America - Freeform, Espionage, Gen, Intrigue, Missing Scene, Moral Ambiguity, Teamwork, Trust, winter soldier - Freeform
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-07-04
Updated: 2014-07-04
Packaged: 2018-02-07 10:01:35
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 903
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1894863
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Ysabetwordsmith/pseuds/Ysabetwordsmith
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>This is a missing scene which explains why 10 double-agents thought it would somehow be a good idea to ambush Captain America in an elevator.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Going Down

**Author's Note:**

> This story fills the "fast and loose" square in [my 3-6-14 card](http://ysabetwordsmith.dreamwidth.org/9694895.html) for the fest.  It's a stand-alone. 
> 
> Not all the endnotes would fit, so I moved some here ...
> 
>  _[Captain America 2: The Winter Soldier](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Captain_America:_The_Winter_Soldier)_ contains a scene in which Steve Rogers gets trapped in an elevator with a bunch of HYDRA-affiliated thugs, who attempt to beat him down. This is clearly one of the most idiotic plans in the history of ever. The standard explanation for this is that [Evil Is Stupid](http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/StupidEvil). But then it occurred to me that SHIELD was engaged in a civil war between true SHIELD agents and HYDRA subverts. Many of the loyalists would logically use clandestine means to undermine the enemy's chance of success. This renders the elevator scene not a mistake, but a masterstroke of cloak-and-dagger intrigue.
> 
> [When you don't know what to do](http://tinybuddha.com/blog/what-to-do-when-you-dont-know-what-to-do/), it can be difficult to [decide how to act](http://goinswriter.com/dont-know/). [Split-second decision making](http://www.problem-solving-techniques.com/Split-Second-Decision-Making.html) is a learned skill. [The brain makes quick decisions](http://abcnews.go.com/Technology/DyeHard/story?id=6905370) using techniques such as [thin-slicing](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thin-slicing). [Marines](http://www.linkedin.com/today/post/article/20131216153414-266437464-how-to-make-a-deal-in-3-seconds-part-2), [firefighters](http://www.firefighternation.com/article/firefighter-safety/making-split-second-decisions), and [police](http://www.wmctv.com/story/22736958/police-chief-offers-advice-for-making-split-second-decisions) all practice this kind of snap judgement. When you don't have enough information or time to make a thoughtful decision, [trust your gut](http://www.spring.org.uk/2011/09/quick-decisions-go-with-your-gut.php).

Helen Wright got caught smack in the middle of what she could only call a civil war. At Level 5 clearance, she had _no idea_ what was really going on at SHIELD. She only knew that Jasper Sitwell was ordering Security to capture Captain America with as much force as necessary, that her gut screamed at her how wrong this was, and that if she said anything about that someone would doubtless shoot her on the spot.

She could be no use to SHIELD or Captain America if she was dead.

 _God, I wish Phil Coulson were here,_ Agent Wright thought. She had thought this at least three times a week, ever since he died trying to take down Loki. Coulson would know what to do. He always knew what to do. She had learned more listening to him over lunch than she ever had at West Point.

But Coulson was dead, so the least she could do for him was look after his people. If Agent Sitwell was after Captain America, then that put Black Widow and Hawkeye at risk too. Credible threat: Agent Wright did not know how many of her guards were compromised, but she suspected at least a dozen as double-agents. There was no telling how far the rot went through SHIELD. She needed to do something to even the odds, but she had to make it _look like_ she was following orders at the same time.

Someone was playing fast and loose with the facts. Well, two could play at that game.

"Agent Wright? You worked under Agent Coulson, and everyone knows how much he studied Captain America. Do you have any suggestions on the best way to neutralize our rogue asset?" asked Agent Sitwell.

"Well, let's consider Captain America's fighting style," said Agent Wright, trying to buy time. "He prefers to use his shield, although he can also use a gun. Both are ranged weapons. The shield makes any kind of projectile attack dubious at best and counterproductive at worst. He's quite formidable, so unless you can fire a rocket launcher at him ..."

 _Steve Rogers grew up poor and frail. He got beaten up every week of his life. His pain tolerance is insane even for SHIELD. He can take anything we could possibly dish out. I suppose a rocket in the knees might slow him down,_ Agent Wright thought.

And then she had it. The idea was brilliant in its simplicity. _You take out a hand-to-hand expert from a distance, and a sniper at point-blank range. Rogers is effective at any distance, but that shield is so conspicuous, it makes people THINK of him as a ranged combatant_.

"... but if we could pen him in somehow, that would hinder his use of the shield, and we could overwhelm him with numbers," Agent Wright suggested.

"How do you propose we deal with his hand-to-hand capability?" Agent Sitwell asked. He wasn't stupid, just on the wrong side. Probably.

"We have manacles designed to hold mutants. They should work just as well on the rogue asset," Agent Wright said. She wasn't worried about cramping his style; she just had to make it look good on the security cameras.

 _He was trained by Agent Coulson. He could kill you all with both hands tied behind his back. Hell, he could kill you with his pinky toes!_ she thought.

"Excellent. Where shall we arrange an ambush?" Agent Sitwell asked.

"I recommend one of the outer elevators," Agent Wright said. "They're large enough to fit in six or eight men besides the target -- maybe even ten if we ignore the weight limits."

"Do that," Agent Sitwell said. "Safety is not a concern at the moment. Security is."

 _The more the merrier, in fact; too many guards would get in each other's way,_ Agent Wright thought.

"He's smart, so we'll need to set this up in stages. Only a few men should enter the elevator with him. The rest should get on at different floors, in small groups, until the carriage is full," Agent Wright said. "Once the target is neutralized, you can deal with him as you see fit."

 _The outer walls are glass; Rogers can break out if the fight goes badly enough. That also means less metal for anchoring the magnetic cuffs,_ Agent Wright thought. _None of the guards will be able to escape from him_.

"Who do you plan to assign to this detail?" Agent Sitwell asked. His eyes fixed on her, narrow and glittering. He was testing her. He wanted to see if she would make the mistake of choosing men loyal to her side of SHIELD.

Agent Wright gave him a tight, professional smile. "Only the men you trust the most, sir," she said as she named the most probable double-agents in Security. They might beat the crap out of Rogers first, but he was the only one about to walk away from that fight. The other men wouldn't stand a chance.

"Good job, Agent Wright; get to work," said Agent Sitwell.

"Yes, sir," she replied. "This mission is going down."

Sometimes you couldn't warn an asset that he was about to be activated. Sometimes you just had to set up the mission, gamble on the training, and _trust_ your asset to do the job.

 _Sorry, Rogers, you're about to take one for the team,_ Agent Wright thought. _Coulson always believed in heroes. Don't let us down_.

**Author's Note:**

> It is not only legal but expected for people to [disobey unlawful orders](http://usmilitary.about.com/cs/militarylaw1/a/obeyingorders.htm). However, those who do so usually get screwed. Fortunately there are other options.
> 
> [Sabotage](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sabotage) is the fine art of making things go wrong, particularly for people who hold power over you but oppose your personal values. There are [many ways of sabotage](http://www.gutenberg.org/files/26184/page-images/26184-images.pdf). In the workplace, [various kinds of saboteur](http://coding.abel.nu/2013/01/project-saboteur-taxonomy/) use [different techniques](http://coding.abel.nu/2013/01/the-project-saboteurs-handbook/) that can [wreck projects](http://www.instantquick.com/index.php/how-to-sabotage-your-projects?c=elumenotion-blog-archive/random-whatnot). There are [countermeasures for sabotage](http://java.dzone.com/articles/project-counter-sabotage) too. If you have seen the Marvel one-shot "The Consultant," you know that this kind of manipulation is canon for SHIELD.
> 
> In _[The Avengers](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Avengers_\(2012_film\)),_ Director Fury announces the death of Phil Coulson. Later on, in _Agents of SHIELD,_ [he is revealed alive](http://screenrant.com/agents-shield-marvel-tv-show-trailer/); but this is only known to agents at Level 7 or higher.
> 
> [West Point](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States_Military_Academy) is a military academy.
> 
> Analyzing an opponent is a useful skill in [martial arts](http://www.classicaldimension.com/theory/opponent.html) and [wrestling](http://wrestling.isport.com/wrestling-guides/how-to-scout-an-opponent-in-wrestling). It also plays into the [military decision-making process](http://www.au.af.mil/au/awc/awcgate/army/fm101-5_mdmp.pdf).
> 
> An [ambush](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ambush) is a well-known technique in combat. There are [steps for conducting an ambush](http://www.armystudyguide.com/content/Leadersbook_information/Combat_Leaders_Guide/patrol-recon-conduct-an-a-2.shtml) of [various types](http://mountainguerrilla.wordpress.com/2013/02/06/the-ambush/), along with [practice drills](http://www.special-forces-adventure-training.co.uk/ambush_drills.htm). Know how to [prepare for an ambush](http://www.lawofficer.com/article/training/ambush-train-plan-prepare-it) and [survive one](http://www.lawofficer.com/article/tactics-and-weapons/ambush). While an ambush is usually conducted from a distance, it can apply to any surreptitious attack, so in the latter regard the elevator scene qualifies.
> 
> The [movie trailer](http://timsfilmreviews.com/2013/10/25/captain-america-the-winter-soldier-trailer-1-review/) contains a clip of the elevator scene, in which Steve recognizes the pending ambush. He feels so sorry for the poor thugs that he _offers them a chance to leave_ before the fight starts. It begins with [a small crowd of guys](http://timsfilmreviews.files.wordpress.com/2013/10/captain-america-the-winter-soldier-elevator-fight.jpg), who make the mistake of [attacking Steve](http://turntherightcorner.com/2013/10/24/captain-america-the-winter-soldier-teaser-trailer/captain-america-the-winter-soldier-teaser-trailer-elevator-fight-2/), and it [ends like this](http://turntherightcorner.com/2013/10/24/captain-america-the-winter-soldier-teaser-trailer/captain-america-the-winter-soldier-teaser-trailer-elevator-fight-3/). Well, that was always going to have happened.
> 
> There are ways to determine if someone is [trustworthy](http://www.wikihow.com/Determine-if-Someone-Is-Trustworthy) or [untrustworthy](http://www.energeticsynthesis.com/index.php/resource-tools/ascension-tools/assessing-trustworthiness/2393-untrustworthy-ego-profiles). [Psychopaths](http://www.wikihow.com/Identify-a-Psychopath) are a particular threat because they can pretend to be friendly. But sometimes it's useful to [know how to trick people](http://voices.yahoo.com/how-manipulate-people-guide-tricking-your-315539.html?cat=9).
> 
> "[Take one for the team](http://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/take_one_for_the_team)" means enduring some kind of hardship or sacrifice, borrowed from sports but often used in military contexts. Not everyone is that much of a team player, but Steve Rogers is famously willing to do it, so his consent is implied: "Rogers, we need you to take out these ten HYDRA goons in an elevator." "Okay." The probability of getting smacked around wouldn't make him hesitate.


End file.
